Documentation of torture victims. Implementation of medico-legal protocols.

This article outlines the background for performing medical documentation in the context of a rehabilitation centre by reviewing literature and current practices. The article moreover delineates 6 ways of using medico-legal documentation in torture prevention: National legal proceedings; international legal proceedings; asylum cases; research, lobbying and advocacy activities. This article forms the basis for a Pilot Study performed at the Rehabilitation and Research Centre for Torture Victims in Copenhagen, which is described elsewhere.